David Boren Educates State Chamber

David Boren Educates State Chamber

OKLAHOMA CITY (JR) -- University of Oklahoma President David L.
Boren said on Wednesday that quality higher education and university-
based research are both key ingredients to the growth of Oklahoma.

"No state has been able to prosper without having a university of
national stature to train leaders with the ability and vision to
guide the future," Boren said while speaking at a breakfast meeting
of the State Chamber Small Business Fall Forum in Oklahoma City.

Sixty years ago, the former governor and U.S. senator said, OU
President Joseph Brandt said, `No state has ever become great without
having a truly great university within its boundaries.'

"Brandt's statement is even more accurate today when we realize
that human resources are the most important resources of all in the
creation of wealth and a good quality of life," Boren said.

In addition to having an outstanding university to train its
leaders, a state needs a strong university research effort to help
create new businesses and jobs, Boren said.

"Our universities must not only teach our students how to get a
job; they must teach our students how to create jobs," he said.

"It is no coincidence that areas of the country with rapid
economic growth like Silicon Valley in California; Austin, Texas; and
the Research Triangle of North Carolina are close to strong
university research programs."

The ranking of states in terms of per capita income almost exactly
matches the ranking of states in the quality of higher education and
research, Boren said.

While outlining initiatives to spur economic development in the
state, Boren announced that OU has ranked number one in research
growth in the Big 12 Conference and for the fourth year in a row has
produced more than $100 million in externally funded research,
passing $130 million this year. …

The rest of this article is only available to active members of Questia

Print this page

While we understand printed pages are helpful to our users, this limitation is necessary
to help protect our publishers' copyrighted material and prevent its unlawful distribution.
We are sorry for any inconvenience.